Assessing Preventive Maintenance Program for Micro, Small, and Medium Scale Machine Shop Industries Using DEMATEL

Preventive maintenance programs are widely adopted by multinational companies; however, Micro, Small, and Medium-Scale Machine Shop Industries (MSMIs) in Cebu City often lack structured maintenance practices. This study evaluated existing preventive maintenance activities as a foundation for designing specialized maintenance software tailored to these industries. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire incorporating a Likert Scale and Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method, structured into three key sections. Findings revealed medium-level performance in recording machine history cards (1.83) and machine safety (2.46). Additionally, an analysis of machine performance metrics, including planned maintenance, utilization, mean time between failures (MTBF), and mean time to repair (MTTR), identified lathe (MTBF 486 hrs, MTTR 144 hrs), welding (MTBF 541 hrs, MTTR 59 hrs), and portable grinder (MTBF 311.63 hrs, MTTR 13.5 hrs) machines as particularly problematic. The results indicate that many MSMIs experience frequent machine breakdowns, inadequate documentation, and ineffective scheduling of maintenance activities. To mitigate these challenges, a preventive maintenance program was designed with a focus on addressing production planning issues, corrective maintenance inefficiencies, and data deficiencies, emphasizing collaboration across all organizational levels. Future initiatives include the development of cost-effective, user-friendly software aimed at improving maintenance efficiency, particularly for technicians in MSMIs with limited financial resources. This approach seeks to enhance operational reliability and sustainability in small-scale machine shop industries.